Method of prison protection



July 24, 1934. R, J. MEYER METHOD OF PRISON PROTECTION Filed March 16,1931 NW ENTOR. /aO/LQ/Veyel' BY {yal/MM BULL Pf/V ,4 TTORNEYS vrv1Q-above stated character.

ou system.

atent'ecl July 24, 1934 METHOD F PRISON PROTECTION Ralph J. Meyer,Denver, Colo.; Judith L. Meyer administratrix of said Ralph J. Meyer,deceased Application March 16, 1931, Serial No. 522,992

1 Claim.

vThis invention relatesv to a method and apparatus for the suppressionof mutinies and other disturbances among the inmates of prisonsand otherpenal institutions. 5v It is an object 'of the invention to provide asystem of a supply-reservoir, conduits, valves and outlets for theintroduction of a gas under pressure at any one of a number of points ina building or buildings of an institution of the The gas to be used in"the system is one of many that will stupefy by inhalation, with theresult that when liberated in a room or other part of a prison where theprisoners are beyond control, it will rapidly A .and harmlessly quellthe insurrection by render- 'ing the prisoners temporarily unconsciousor otherwise incapable of destructive or malicious action.

Another object of the invention resides in providing in a system of theabove stated charac- ""'ter, outlets for the discharge of noxious vaporsinto the rooms or passages of a building, which shall be inaccessible tothe occupants thereof, whereby to prevent malicious plugging or other-25.wise tampering with the outlets to obstruct the ""said discharge.

The present application is a continuation of my application for patentSerial No. 425,854, filed on the 4th day of February, 1930.

An embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in the two views of which like parts have been similarlydesignated and in which Figure 1 is a sectional and more or lessdiagrammatic plan View of a prison in which the system is installed, and

Figure 2, a section taken on the line 2--2, Figure l.

Referring further to the drawing, the numeral 406 designates aninclosure ci a prison or other penal institution, containing separatedbuildings, rooms, cells and other compartments such as are shown at 6,'7, 8 and 9, It is obvious that the arrangement of these buildings andvesrooms ofthe institution is not a part of the present invention.

Installed in an enclosure 1G preferably outside the main enclosure, is asupply tank l2 which contains the gas used in the operation oi 'the Itis essential that this enclosure be so constructed and arranged that itcan be entered only by authorized persons and is securely closed againstthe entrance of the inmates of the institution.

ed A compressor 13 operated by a motor 14 both within the enclosure 10,are used to subject the gas in the tank to the pressure required for itsforcible emission through the outlets of the system. At the points ofthe institution at which it is desired to introduce the gas, are outlets15 which may be disposed in recesses 16 below the iioor or floors of thebuildings, rooms or other compartments, covered by securely fastenedgratings 17. Pipes 18 separately connect the reservoir 12 with thevarious 5 outlets and Valves 19 in the pipes, within the enclosure 10,control the flow of gas from the reservoir to the outlets.

It is obviously necessary in order to assure of the effectivefunctioning of the system at any time, that the outlets for the issue ofthe noxious vapors into the rooms or passages be inaccessible to theoccupants thereof so that the convicts cannot plug the outlets orotherwise tamper with the same and thereby prevent the discharge of thevapors.

The grate-covered pits are a means toward producing this result.However, unless they are made very deep, it is still possible to reachthe outlets by the use of prongs, wires or other instruments insertedthrough the openings of the grates, and this possibility is completelyavoided by turning the end of the pipe 18, inside the pit, downwardly asshown at 21 in Figure 2, or to cover the outlet of the pipe as by a hood22, illustrated in the same iigure. By the provision of either of theseeXpedients the outlets are rendered inaccessible to the occupants ofinclosures of the institution, equipped with the system. 90

It will be understood without further illustration that other means torender the outlets inaccessible or, in general, to prevent theirfunctioning at the proper time, may be employed within the scope of theinvention.

The recesses instead of being formed in the iioor of an enclosure, maybe provided in a wall of the same, and the grating covering the recess,includes any apertured covering adapted for the discharge of vapor intothe enclosure.

1n fact, the form, construction and placement of the outlets which arein valve-controlled connection with the source of vapor under pressure,may be varied in any desired manner in accordance with differentcircumstances and conditions and when the outlets are in gratecoveredpits as those shown in the drawing, it is desirable to connect the pitsby pipes 20 with a sewer or other conduit for the drainage of water. Ifno drain-openings were provided, it

would be possible to ll the pits with water and thereby obstruct theescape of the gas.

I't is preferred that all the conduits included in the system beconcealed beneath the floors or in the Walls of the buildings in whichthe system is installed. All of these features of construction andarrangement must necessarily be varied according to the nature andconstruen tion of the rooms and buildings of the institution, and withinthe scope of the invention.`

The operation of the system will be readily understood.

In case of mutiny in any part of an institution, a guard or otherattendant starts the motor of the compressor in case the gas`v in thereser Voir is not at the required pressure. He then opens the valve ofthe pipe leading to the outlet nearest to the point at which the mutinyis in progress and the gas escaping at said point and lling the room,stupees the mutineers and quickly quiets the disturbance. y While theInutineers are in an unconscious or semi-conscious condition they areeasily overpowered, manacled or separately conned.

It is, of course, of the utmost importance that the system be capable ofimmediate use, at the very beginning of any disturbance in the penalinstitution and with this in View, the reservoir 12 provides aconstantly available supply of gas under pressure.

A gauge may be provided to indicate the pressure in the tank and byperiodic observation of this gauge, any loss of pressure may becompensated by operation of the pump.

What is claimed is:

A system for the suppression of disturbance in a penal institution,comprising a source of noxious Vapor under pressure, a recess aperturedfor the discharge of said Vapor into an enclosure of the institution,having a Water outlet, and a pipe connected with said source and havingan egress opening in the recess turned away from an aperture of thesame, the Water outlet being situated at a lower elevation than theegress opening to frustrate clogging of the egress opening by floodingthe recess.

RALPH J. MEYER.

